5 Tips for Flawless Makeup from the Celeb Makeup Artist You Need to Know

It's 2017, and award season is upon us. It's time to take your look to the next level.

Here's the thing: The next level probably isn't what you think. Gone are the days of heavy makeup, dramatic smoky eyes and layering fake lashes. Today's red carpet is filled with subtle and elegant beauty that causes our favorite stars to appear more perfect than ever. Less is more. To elevate your makeup, you have to perfect the basics.

No one knows this better than Sir John, celebrity makeup artist and brand ambassador for L'Oréal Paris. "If you have one goal in 2017, it's to always make sure that you're amplifying the silhouette of your eyes, cheekbones and lips," he told us. "You want to maximize the impact of your already-beautiful features. That's the future of makeup."

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For a Flawless Face

"I'm always watching girls on the subway, and I've noticed that a lot of women tend to rush through skin to get a feature, such as their eyes or cheeks. I think we should be spending more time perfecting the complexion. That means taking more time for concealer and foundation," he said. "It was all about perfecting the basics, and that's what I want women to focus on. After you've perfected the basics, then you add in a smoky eye or a matte lip."

Step 1: Put on foundation while skin is still damp from your moisturizer.

Step 2: Go in with a creme contour stick and just touch the perimeter of the face—underneath the cheekbones, under the jawline and on the sides of the nose.

For Glowing Skin

"You want to make sure that you keep your highlighter positioned toward the outer perimeters of the face. Never use too much highlighter or anything shimmery on the front of the face," he said. This is his key for keeping his A-listers from looking oily.

"For a natural radiance, apply highlighter with your ring finger. Your ring finger is the weakest finger, so it's best to use for application of blush, concealer and highlighter. You want to tap your highlighter into the cheek bones, the brow bones and maybe a tiny amount down the center of the nose. The tapping motion warms up the highlighter, making it appear more natural."

For Perfectly Winged Eyeliner

"Pointed cotton swabs make winged eyeliner a lot easier, even in the car. After you apply eyeliner, take the pointed tip with a little water-based makeup remover and drag it along the eyeliner. It will give you perfect feline eyes every time."

Black is a clear go-to for eyeliner, but we're taking it up a notch, remember? It's time to embrace color. "I also love tinted liner. The L'Oréal Paris Infallible Paints Liquid Eyeliner in Intrepid Teal and Electric Blue are universally flattering, as well as metallic hues. The pop of color gives an interesting focal point to the face."

For an End to Dark Circles

If there is a world without concealer, we don't want to be in it. However, the key to perfect makeup is not having to rely on it. If you're struggling with dark circles, it's hard to resist packing on the concealer. "There are steps you can take to make dark circles less noticeable" he explained. "It helps to massage your eye cream in a counterclockwise motion. Then, use your fingers to tap, tap, tap and buff in that moisturizer for radiant and refreshed looking eyes."

In addition to moisturizing, Sir John suggest that adding a few extra greens to your diet and getting plenty of rest can also help. "I juice kale every day. What's great about kale, broccoli and cauliflower is that they are excellent sources of Vitamin K." Since it only takes an extra trip to the grocery store, it's worth a try, right?

Justin Bettman

For Makeup That Draws People In

"The goal in makeup is to cast a spell on anyone that looks at you. It's an optical illusion. If your makeup is over the top, you're not making your face look more beautiful, you're just creating another face," he said. Want to know how make them fall in love with your features? The famous makeup artist gave us the answers.

"You want to pick one feature that you're going to focus on. It should be the feature that you love. Don't pay attention to whatever is pulling away at your confidence. Pimples and childhood scars shouldn't get all of your attention. For example, if you love your eyelashes, take a few extra minutes to apply another coat of mascara. If you spend more time and energy on the features that you are confident in, you will set yourself up to be more confident during the day."

...because "makeup is only going to look as good as you feel."

For more tips on creating red carpet-worthy makeup looks, watch the video above!